hello and three questions for you...

[PDCarby]

hello. i just joined your forum and i am excited to learn new things! i do have 3 questions for you: 1.where can you get forging essentials like coal and what kind of coal do i get, lignus? (i think thats how you spell it) 2. where do you get the ingredients to make alloys like chromium, tungston, vandaium, etc.? 3. where can you get sheets of steel for creating with the substitution method. i cant seem to find any of these and any help in the next direction would be appriciated. thank you and i look foward to posting more.

[Gary Mulkey]

Welcome aboard. I think that you will find the list of suppliers on The Supply Center forum to be quite extensive. Mike does a great job with it.

In reference to coal, I would try to find a local source due to the cost of shipping. In your post you mentioned lignus. If you are referring to lignite, it doesn't make a very good blacksmithing coal. Too dirty. My favorite blacksmith coal (when I used to blacksmith) was an anthracite from Pennsylvania. Some of the Kentucky soft coal is decent as well. What you want most of all is a clean coal with as few minerals as possible in it, especially metals. If you find any coal locally, buy a small amount and burn some to see how clean it is. If you have trouble getting a good coke or many clinkers, go somewhere else.
If you have trouble getting it, charcoal is an alternative until you find a good source.

Once again, welcome to the forums.

Gary

[Bob Warner]

Search for an ABANA location near you. These people are blacksmiths and they will know where to get the best coal available to you. They will also help teach.